What 4 seater weekender - up to £15k

[eltax91]

Hi all

I am in the process of breaking my SC MX5 as the shell is nearing expiry. It's been a fun steer for the last 4 years as a weekend toy to run along my daily boring accord hack. My situation has changed somewhat in that i now have 2 children that weren't around when i bought the Mazda, and subsequently it has had little use over the last year or so, with just the occasional blat on my own, or picking my 4 year old up from school/ nursery in it.

I'll probably get £3k back on the bits from the MX5. I can chuck up to £12k into it, but this money is for a future house move, so the more i chuck in, the more the car needs to not lose me money. I could just as happily get a £3k car that's not losing money as a £15k one. Running costs are not massively important, although constant attention to the mechanicals just take away from the ownership experience, insurance and fuel is not a concern (I'm over 30 so all are affordable)

Minimum Requirements:-

• 4 seats
• RWD
• Manual
• More powerful than the MX5 was (200hp)
• MUST be depreciation free or very close to it (doesn't need to appreciate per se although that would be nice)

Nice to have:-
Convertible - This is not a must have, since i know there are a lot of cars ruled out on this basis, but the MX5 has opened my eyes to the wonders of a winter roofless blat to clear the stresses of the day

Thoughts i've explored so far:-

996 (thanks to the great readers cars thread!) - worried about engine bork
E46 M3 - Stories of cracked subframes scare me as i'd struggle to spot that
E46 330i - would i always regret not getting the M car?
Monaro - Not a rag top but the engine/ power available are attractive
RX8 - Not sure about wankel, never experienced one

[Rory J]

I had a E46 330ci before I had my current E46 M3. Its a nice car but you will regret not getting the M3! I certainly did!
Also the subframe can crack on a 330 as well but its not so common. Check out the reddish motorsport videos on youtube for how to check for a cracked subframe.

The M3 will also hold its value or even slightly increase. Prices are creeping up.

[Patrick Bateman]

The difference in running costs between a regular e46 and the M3 are not to be underestimated. As long as you know.

e.g a front brake disc being about 3 times the price plus on the M3.

Edited by Patrick Bateman on Tuesday 10th January 12:49

[lufbramatt]

E39 M5?

[DKL]

quattroporte V

[LordHaveMurci]

Monaro?

And seriously, the engine issues on the 996 are massively overblown, they do exist just not to anywhere near the extent the internet would have you believe & they are an absolute bargain at the moment.

[eltax91]

DKL said:

quattroporte V

One i had not thought of admittedly.

I know nothing about these, is a good one available for my budget? Or am i looking at a basket case with maximum bork factor?

[eltax91]

I have thought about a Cerbera - would i be able to get a couple of kiddie seats in the back? Can't really tell from the pictures in ad's how much room there is and if they all have 3 point belts?

[RobCrezz]

E92 335i

[eltax91]

RobCrezz said:

E92 335i

Depreciation free?

[anonymous-user]

Is a 911 really a 4 seater, it's pretty cramped in the back.

[RobCrezz]

eltax91 said:

Depreciation free?

Yeah may have missed that requirement. That said, early models have pretty much lost most of their value already!

[eltax91]

yonex said:

Is a 911 really a 4 seater, it's pretty cramped in the back.

I haven't tried one yet. It's on my list thanks to poppopbangbang's thread and the fact it's my poster car!

My 2 kids are 4 years and 2 months old respectively, so i imagine the occasional trips should be ok. One of the eldest's school friends' mum runs one as a daily with 2 kids in the back!!

[The Surveyor]

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

Full 4 seater and M5 pace in a much prettier body.

Be realistic, whether you're looking at M3's, 911, or any other high-end performance car, just because they are cheap to buy, none of them will be cheap to run and none will be depreciation proof.

[rgv250ads]

Got an SLK55 myself and often find myself wondering around the classifieds as the brief i give to myself is pretty much 100% the same as the OP's.
Best i have found so far is Audi S4 Cabriolet. Some nice colour combinations about, and seem well spec'd. As above thou, with the 330i Vs M3, if you didn't get the RS4 Cab, then would it always be a niggle ?

Personally i think the RS4 looks a bit too pumped up and the S4 is a nice subtle car. But then does look like the 2.0TDi to the untrained eye......

CLK55 AMG would also tick the boxes but looks quiet dated both inside and out IMO.

[hoegaardenruls]

yonex said:

Is a 911 really a 4 seater, it's pretty cramped in the back.

Depends on the height of the driver..mine's effectively a three seater with extra luggage space - cabs are worse than coupes as well.

[LordHaveMurci]

eltax91 said:

yonex said:

Is a 911 really a 4 seater, it's pretty cramped in the back.

I haven't tried one yet. It's on my list thanks to poppopbangbang's thread and the fact it's my poster car!

My 2 kids are 4 years and 2 months old respectively, so i imagine the occasional trips should be ok. One of the eldest's school friends' mum runs one as a daily with 2 kids in the back!!

My kids are 16 & 13, had my 996 for 7.5yrs & they still (just about) cope! My 16yr old daughter is quite tall so she's just starting to complain on longer trips, not sure I'd be wanting to faff about getting baby seat into the back though.

[eltax91]

hoegaardenruls said:

yonex said:

Is a 911 really a 4 seater, it's pretty cramped in the back.

Depends on the height of the driver..mine's effectively a three seater with extra luggage space - cabs are worse than coupes as well.

Hmmmm. I'm 6'2". Is this going to rule me out?

[hoegaardenruls]

eltax91 said:

hoegaardenruls said:

yonex said:

Is a 911 really a 4 seater, it's pretty cramped in the back.

Depends on the height of the driver..mine's effectively a three seater with extra luggage space - cabs are worse than coupes as well.

Hmmmm. I'm 6'2". Is this going to rule me out?

Probably - same height as me, and in the 997 there is only a couple of inches at most between the back of the drivers seat and the rear - although there's not much difference to a 996 in that respect.

[The Surveyor]

I would put a 911 in the '2+2' category like a Jaguar XK for example, rather than a full 4 seat coupe like an RS5 or 2 door M3.